Transit Sam, Week of July 17, 2014

ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING RULES ARE IN EFFECT ALL WEEKSpecial alert! President Obama is coming to New York Thursday afternoon for a D.N.C. roundtable event. The White House has yet to release details on the location, but he will likely chopper into Wall St. and motorcade to the event. That will make for freezes in and near the Financial District. His arrival may coincide with the beginning of rush hour, so be sure to follow me on Twitter @gridlocksam for the latest news on his visit.

A full weekend closure ahead on the Manhattan-bound Brooklyn Bridge! Midnight Friday night to 6 a.m. Monday morning, you’ll have to take a different East River crossing. The Battery (Hugh L. Carey) Tunnel and Manhattan Bridge will be popular, so expect extra traffic at those crossings and West and Canal Sts., where they let out in Lower Manhattan.

Additionally, the Brooklyn Bridge/Manhattan Civic Center exit (Exit 2) on the northbound F.D.R. will close during the same time period.

Double tunnel trouble Thursday night! In the Battery Tunnel, one tube will close 9 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday.

One lane will remain open in each direction in the other tube. In the Holland Tunnel, one of two New York-bound lanes will close 11 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday. So if you’re crossing the Hudson, expect delays in the tunnel and on Canal St. For the East River, consider taking the Brooklyn Bridge, but beware slower traffic.

In the Lincoln Tunnel, the New York-bound tube will close midnight Friday night to 8 a.m. Saturday morning. This will send Manhattan-bound traffic down to the Holland Tunnel.

Brooklyn-bound F trains run via the A line between West 4th St. and Jay St.-MetroTech 11:45 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. That means no Downtown F service at Broadway-Lafayette, 2nd Ave., Delancey St., or East Broadway. Take the D to Broadway-Lafayette, and take the Queens-bound F back from Jay St for the other stations.

M.T.A. FASTRACK work will affect E, M, and R service in Lower Manhattan 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Wednesday nights. During those hours, no E trains will run between Roosevelt Ave. and the World Trade Center. M service between 71st Ave. in Queens and Essex St. and R service between 71st Ave. and Whitehall St. will end early.

The D.O.T. Weekend Walks Explore Chinatown Mid-Summer Festival will close Mott St. between Canal St. and Chatham Square 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Thursday, a promotional event will partially close Broadway between Battery Pl. and Morris St. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Broadway between Beaver and Stone Sts. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

FROM THE MAILBAG:

Dear Transit Sam,
I often find it convenient to take the Battery Tunnel to get into Brooklyn from Manhattan. However, at night, the access to the tunnel Brooklyn-bound from West St. is often closed. At what time do they usually do this? Is it weekends only, or every day?Ben, New York

Dear Ben,The West St. underpass closes nightly at 9 p.m. for maintenance. However, it’s easy to get around it and will add just a minute or so. Go to the end of West St. and take the left-lane U-turn which brings you onto the northbound side of West St. and gives you a right turn into the tunnel.

Transit Sam

Have a question about a parking ticket, traffic rules, public transportation, or street cleaning rules? If so, send me an e-mail at TransitSam@downtownexpress.com or write to Transit Sam, 322 Eighth Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10001.